


I'll Tell You Now

by Petri808, Rando29



Series: Fairytail Short Story One Shots [54]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Love Confessions, Singing, facing your fear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petri808/pseuds/Petri808, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rando29/pseuds/Rando29
Summary: Natsu knew what he felt for Lucy lay beyond just a platonic friendship, but he's torn about revealing it to her. With the help, or more like a push from a friend, he finally faces that concern and tells her in a way she never would have expected.. a serenade.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Series: Fairytail Short Story One Shots [54]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/686637
Kudos: 15





	I'll Tell You Now

**Author's Note:**

> nalu week day one prompt voice
> 
> The idea of a serenade came from Rando29

How Close you Are by Mamoru Miyano <https://open.spotify.com/track/67VaIPjINdvLgWVzk67pXc?si=9L5Eut56T9SigUqiVRx0rw>

The song Natsu sings

* * *

As Natsu sat on one of the bar stools surveying the guild hall, his features masked his thoughts well. Their team had just returned from the hundred-year quest and everyone was celebrating… except him. Oh, he was happy to be back in Magnolia, grateful that all of his friends and family were safe and sound again, especially one in particular.

_”We’ll be back home tomorrow,” Gray pokes at the small campfire. “I’m actually looking forward to seeing Juvia, bet she’ll never let me leave for a while again.”_

_Natsu snickers, “yeah,” then sighs. “Glad you two finally figured out your relationship.”_

_The ice mage looks over and notices the sullen gaze of his pyro buddy. He frowns, “wish I could say the same to you. What’s the hang up?”_

With a shift on his stool, Natsu takes a deep swig of his beer to calm his nerves. Everyone at the guild hall was as lively as usual. Just looking around, you’d never know the pained trials each person in that room has gone through over the years. Yeah, they were an amazing bunch alright, and he was proud to be a part of it. Then why was he so nervous about what he was about to do right in front of them?

_“Don’t you ever worry about changing something that’s already a good thing?” The fire mage responds back. He stares into the burning embers as if hoping it’ll tell him his fortune. “What if things get ruined because of it in the future…” Natsu hangs his head, “I don’t wanna risk it.”_

_Gray just stares at his friend, watching the orange and red glow dance in Natsu’s eyes. Of course, he worried about the future. Their lives as mages meant they could go on a mission and never return again. “Let me ask you this,” he eventually answers. “That time with DiMaria and you thought Lucy was dead, do you still think about it?” Because if you’d asked the ice mage, his memories of Juvia impaled with the water blade still haunted him._

_“Of course, it does!” Natsu snaps, before turning away quickly to hide the scowl on his face. Why’d Gray have to bring that up?! “But that’s not what’s stopping me either.”_

_“It might not be, but that’s not what I’m trying to get at.” Gray sighs, “After it happened, I realized that because those moments can happen, maybe—maybe, I need to stop wasting time. It wasn’t easy, you know I ain’t exactly great with emotions-- But at least I started trying to do something about it.”_

Do something about it… Natsu glances over to where Lucy was chatting with Levy and a few others. She looked so happy, laughing and smiling about whatever they were talking about. All the girls were thrilled about Levy’s pregnancy because life… new life will be making its way into this world in just a couple more months. That’s what this is all about right? Living? Never letting anything stop them from enjoying everything about their lives. He’d been given a second chance to grow and learn, and above all love. 

_“You love her, don’t you?”_

_Gray’s question blindsides him. Does he love Lucy? Natsu knew he never wanted to be away from her, that he wanted her by his side forever. When others tried to get her attention his blood boiled, almost like an instinct to protect what was his bubbled to the surface and yes sometimes, he lost control because of it. Things were already great between them so why tack on a label? Friends fared better around him but loved ones… his birth parents… Igneel… Zeref… He needed to trust that their pattern wouldn’t take her with too._

“I do…” Natsu whispers under his breath.

“Did you say something?” Mira questions from behind the bar. “Do you need a refill?”

“Nah,” the slayer smiles to allay her concerns. “I should stay sober for the karaoke session.”

The white-haired mage chuckles, “it’s so rare for you to sing and sober of all things, but don’t worry, you’re set. I already gave your music to Warren.”

“Thanks Mira.”

He didn’t know what prompted Gray that night to push him, out in that field, but Natsu was grateful. Maybe it was what he needed, a firm push. And he’d appreciated that the ice mage had waited until the girls were asleep in the tent so they wouldn’t hear the men talking. He wasn’t ready that night for the truth to come out… but now he is.

The last remnants of his drink are quickly gulped down as his turn comes up to take the stage. Of course, he was nervous. He wasn’t singing for fun and doing it sober was definitely a new experience. As Natsu walked towards the stage area, it felt like eyes were boring into his back from around the room. It could be just his mind playing tricks, but by the time he steps onto it and is handed the microphone by Warren, the room had gone silent.

“Hey everyone,” Natsu cups the back of his neck nervously. “I’m gonna sing something but first I need to explain a little.” He looks to the celestial mage who’s staring back intensely at him. “Lucy--” there’s an audible gasp around the room. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the voice to do this sooner, but after a bit of a kick in the ass from a friend--” he glances to Gray who’s grinning “--I need to tell you I love you.”

Lucy’s eyes flash wide as all eyes turn to her, but she couldn’t take hers away from the man standing on the stage. Tears slowly gather as she smiles and gasps from the confirmation she’d dreamed of for so long. She would take Natsu any way she could, be it as friends or more, but this sudden proclamation had taken her by surprise. Albeit a very happy one.

Natsu smiles at her reception. “I’ll fill in the gaps later, but I wanna sing a song I found for you that I think fits the journey I took to realize, how much you really mean to me.” He looks over to Warren with a nod, who hits play on the music box, then lifts the microphone to his lips.

**“If I could have one wish granted, I’d like to always stay, close to your heart. No matter the darkness, I’ve been searching, for that one and only, light. As I look up to the stars, though we’re so far apart, I know we’re looking up at the same starry sky! In the sky within my heart, your smile, and warmth, are about to come falling down. Heal me!”**

_“I do love her.” Natsu stares at the campfire as he answers his friends question. “When I left to train for that year, I missed her so much… that’s when I realized how much I love her. I’d just lost Igneel, I was hurt, confused, but it was always her face in my dreams that kept me going.”_

**“Until I went away and, faced the lonely days, I thought I’d understood, what it meant to love someone… Feeling everything that, was right in front of me – Losing the things that are most precious to me, I’ll realize what real love is. I’ll tell you now, just how close you are.**

**Let me know that you’re all right – Just keep smiling, despite those pains, that will never heal… Being so close to your heart, I can feel you; that alone, is my light. I see you!”**

**Until I went away and, faced the lonely days, somehow, I wasn’t even able to say, “I want to see you”… Feeling everything that, was right in front of me – Losing the things that are most precious to me, I’ll realize what real love is. I’ll tell you now, just how close you are.”**

_“But you know me too,” Natsu sighs. “I resort to humor to cope.” He can see in his peripheral vision, Gray’s snickering nod confirming the statement. “And I’m not an idiot, I had a feeling my leaving would hurt her, but I just thought it was something I needed to do to protect her, get stronger and all that. Lucy was never far from my thoughts the whole time.”_

**“What on Earth, did I manage to leave you with? If I could go back to that day… Searching for you in the sky, it’s like you’re right beside me; I was so gone… Now I’ll hold on! So, I can see you again… So, we can smile together… I want to communicate all these feelings, pleading my wishes to the stars.”**

_“Then tell her dude. Stop worrying or waiting cause she deserves to know.” Gray’s words echoed in Natsu’s mind. His friend was right. Lucy deserved to know he’ll always be there for her._

**I had to go away and, face the lonely days; now I can tell you, the true meaning of love. No matter if we’re apart, or journeying different paths, I’ll walk on, believing, ‘Cause you and I are connected. I’ll tell you now, just how close you are. You are… you are… Whoo hooo…….”**

When he finishes that last line, Natsu’s arms drop to his sides and he closes his eyes for a moment. He’d poured his heart out into the song and could only pray that Lucy felt the same way for him as he did for her. Then as he opens his eyes through a deep exhale, finding a new warmth surrounding him. It was Lucy, her arms wrapped around his torso and her face buried in his chest.

Natsu smiles and lifts her chin, wiping away the tears still trickling down her face, “I’m sorry I made you wait, Luce.”

She shakes her head, her eyes crinkling from how wide she was smiling. “This was perfect, Natsu because I feel the same way about you too.”


End file.
